Ratcheting tools frequently include gear and pawl assemblies so that a gear may rotate in one direction but not rotate in the opposite direction. Typically, ratcheting tools employ a pawl on the inside or outside of the gear's diameter. The teeth of the gear and the pawl mesh together when the pawl is operatively disposed between the tool forging and the gear so that the forging prevents the pawl from moving away from the gear in one of the gear's rotational directions.
Several factors may contribute to the strength of the teeth, including depth, number, size, and shape of the teeth on the gear and the pawl. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,557 to Ma, incorporated herein by reference, it is known to use arcuate pawl teeth.
Examples of ratcheting tools having a sliding pawl engaging the outer diameter of a ratchet gear are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,230,591 and 5,636,557, the entire disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference.